Increased use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) has made it a useful tool in the diagnostic journey of many patients. However, many labs are forced to depend on send-out services for NGS testing since the conversion of native DNA to a barcoded library detectable by NGS is a highly technical procedure that requires substantial time and chemicals and is prone to mistakes.
Time and money may be saved, as well as errors avoided, by using specialized automation solutions for preparing NGS Library preparation, such as liquid handling equipment and integrated microfluidic systems. When all together, the advantages of automating NGS library creation in a clinical laboratory setting are substantial.
When doing next-generation sequencing, what goes into making the library?
There are two primary steps leading up to NGS sequencing, and both may be automated. First is sample preparation, which entails separating DNA from the collected tissue (e.g., blood, saliva) and subjecting it to chemical or mechanical disruption to release the DNA from the nucleus. The second phase, library preparation, entails a great deal of tedium and nuance. In order to get your library ready for short-read sequencing, you’ll need to do the following:
- The first step is to fragment the DNA into manageable chunks that can be read by a sequencer.
- Attach the DNA fragments to sample-specific adapters.
- Attach the DNA-adapter hybrids to a solid state for amplification and sequencing
Time- and money-saver
The tedious and monotonous process of preparing NGS libraries is often regarded as the bottleneck of DNA sequencing. Clinical genetics labs waste time and money when they use a manual procedure since it involves more effort to prepare reagents is repetitious and is prone to mistakes.
The automation of NGS library preparation has the potential to boost efficiency and precision while decreasing overhead costs. Recent research has indicated that laboratory labor accounts for just 5% of the overall cost of NGS sequencing when using a manual library preparation method. Once a procedure has been coded, it may be copied on other devices with little effort, saving time and money compared to the alternative of employing and training new personnel to do the same tasks manually.
Error suppression
Preparing an NGS library by hand entails several iterations of small-volume pipetting in multiwell containers. Since even little variations in pipetting processes may have a major impact on library quality and output, it is imperative that the laboratory specialists carrying them out exercise extreme accuracy.
In most cases, these mistakes aren’t discovered until after the sequencing run is finished, leading to a huge waste of reagents and materials. The batch effect, which is produced by modest variations in pipetting procedures between users, may be reduced with the use of automated liquid handling tools, which are highly calibrated to handle microliter amounts of chemicals.
Conclusion
The advantages of automating NGS library preparation may be significant, despite the fact that the cost and time savings of automation rely on the throughput of a particular laboratory like TEKMATIC. This method has the potential to dramatically improve clinical genetics labs by cutting down on wasted time, money, and data.
